


That Summer

by secretsofthesky



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Camping, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Rating May Change, Road Trips, Second Chances, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:41:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23951002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secretsofthesky/pseuds/secretsofthesky
Summary: “So it’s set then,” Archie put his hand in the middle of the table and Veronica covered it with her own. Jughead set his down next and Betty hesitated, only for a moment, before laying her much smaller one on top of his, ignoring the way heat traveled up her arm at the contact. “Summer after graduation, the four of us, a road trip across the country. No matter what changes from now until then, we do it. Deal?”
Relationships: Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 6
Kudos: 64





	That Summer

* * *

“I can’t believe we’re _actually_ doing this,” Veronica mused as she tossed her last of ten bags into the back of the SUV, despite Archie warning her she was only allowed three.

Betty, trying not to let her excitement show too much, just nodded. “Seems like just yesterday we were in Pop’s talking about it and now it’s really happening.”

* * *

_Archie finished off his milkshake and set it on the table. "So the day after graduation we hit the road for the summer. What do you say?”_

_“As long as it’s not_ only _camping the whole time,” Veronica told him, flipping her hair over her shoulder and picking invisible lint from her skirt._

_Betty watched as Archie slumped in the booth, groaning at the request. “What if we camp during the week and then on weekends we find hotels?” she offered, glancing back and forth between her two friends, trying to find a happy medium. She didn’t care_ where _they stayed, honestly. She just needed the confirmation that they would be going. Escaping Riverdale for a while. Despite just being sophomores still, just the thought of leaving after graduation in less than three years and driving across the country with her two best friends, parent and worry-free, was just what she needed to keep the walls from closing in completely on the mess that was her life at the moment._

_“I_ suppose _that will do,” Veronica drawled, twirling her straw in the milkshake she’d barely touched, before grinning._

_“So it’s a go,” Archie’s grin matched the brunettes, and Betty couldn’t help it when she felt her own cheeks lift into a genuine smile for the first time in a while._

_“What’s a go?”_

_Betty stilled as the deep voice drifted to their table. She watched as Veronica and Archie both lifted their gaze to who was standing over her shoulder before slowly turning herself._

_“Post graduation road trip,” Archie told his friend, moving over so he could join them at the table and Betty held her breath as she watched him slide into the booth, making it feel more crowded then it should for just four people sitting there. His presence was always overwhelming, though she was beginning to think she was the only one who felt it._

_“Where to?” Jughead asked, leaning back and throwing a leather-clad arm over the back of the seat. He spread his legs out under the table, his knee brushing Betty’s and she caught his eye quickly before jerking it away. She swore she saw his eyes light up for a moment and the hint of a smirk play on his lips before she looked away._

_“Everywhere and anywhere,” Archie told him, and Betty tuned him out as he started to go into detail of their plans again._

_Veronica mentioned something about the vixens practice the next day but Betty only half heard her, nodding in response and hoping she didn’t just agree to something crazy. Her eyes moved to find Jughead again, the boy her eyes had been drawn to since they were just kids - though now for very different reasons._

_They_ all _had changed the summer before Sophomore year, she knew that. Veronica had come to town and suddenly Betty was a part of the River Vixens with her. Archie had journeyed away from sports to focus on his music and Jughead… well, Jughead had traded in his flannel for leather and an all-new attitude that had evoked feelings in her she never knew were possible._

_“What do you think, Betty?”_

_Betty blinked, bringing herself back to reality. “What?”_

_Archie laughed. “About making it a foursome?”_

_Her mind instantly went to the gutter, something it always seemed to do lately when_ he _was around, and she felt heat touch her cheeks. “Sorry, I think I missed something.”_

_Veronica nudged her with an elbow, sending her a knowing look. “Jughead said he’s in, too, for the road trip.”_

_Betty’s eyes widened momentarily before she composed herself. A whole summer in a small car with him? She could barely function when he was around as it was._

_“I mean, two guys to unload all our camping equipment and set it all up for us while we just look on sounds like a good idea to me.”_

_Betty let out a small chuckle at Veronica's logic but then bit at her lip when she felt his eyes on her again._

_“What do you say, Betts?” The nickname did something to her that she couldn’t explain and she forced her eyes to meet his. He was so different now, and she wondered how much of the boy she used to know was still there deep down._

_“If they’re okay with it, so am I,” she said as confidently as she could, shrugging. She watched his eyes flicker, amusement and disappointment swirling in their depths before he dragged them away._

_“So it’s set then,” Archie put his hand in the middle of the table and Veronica covered it with her own. Jughead set his down next and Betty hesitated, only for a moment, before laying her much smaller one on top of his, ignoring the way heat traveled up her arm at the contact. “Summer after graduation, the four of us, a road trip across the country. No matter what changes from now until then, we do it. Deal?”_

_“I’m getting major_ Crossroads _vibes right now,” Veronica teased but then winked at him, causing the gingers cheeks to match his hair. “Deal.”_

_Jughead smirked, “Deal.”_

_Betty inhaled deeply, green automatically meeting blue as she spoke. “Deal.”_

* * *

“Though not _exactly_ as we agreed,” Veronica mused, bending down to fix her lipstick in the passenger's side mirror.

Betty closed her eyes, the memory of Jughead in handcuffs, being led down the hallway of school as everyone looked on just months after they had made the pact was still such a vivid memory. The last time she’d seen him before he was sent off to juvie.

“Well, at least the three of us are still able to do it,” she replied, ignoring the pang in her chest. 

“Three bags, Ronnie. _Three_.”

Betty chuckled as she turned to Archie, who was now glaring at his ex-girlfriend after seeing the mound of Louis Vuitton luggage she had loaded in.

“We’re going to be away for _two months_ , Archiekins. Three bags are _not_ doable. They all fit, so what's the problem?”

Betty watched as she batted her eyelashes at him and wondered if, by the end of the summer, the two would somehow find their way back to each other.

“Because we still have more to put in.”

Betty glanced around, noting all the tent supplies, coolers, and luggage was already loaded. “What else do we need, Arch?”

Her nerves began to flutter the second he dipped his head to run a hand through his hair before sending her a sheepish look. “We actually have one more…” he started but then was cut off as the sound of a motorcycle revving filled the air.

Betty's heart pounded as she turned, watching it pull up and already knowing who it was before he removed his helmet and brushed the long dark hair from his eyes. Eyes that immediately landed on her.

“Jug’s back.” Archie grinned, walking over to his friend and wrapping him in a hug.

“Well that's a game-changer," Veronica mused, nudging Betty's shoulder with her own. "I knew he was released on his eighteenth birthday but since he hasn’t shown his face since then I didn’t think he’d be coming. Looks like this road trip just got a bit more interesting," she added before walking over to the SUV and getting in. 

Betty stood still, staring at the two for another moment before following suit, sliding into the backseat next to her friend without a word. 

“You’re lucky,” Archie told Veronica as he climbed into the passenger's seat a few minutes later. “He only brought one bag so your ridiculous amount of clothes can stay.”

Veronica rolled her eyes. “It would have anyway.”

Archie shook his head. “Yeah, yeah. Jug’s taking the first shift. I’ll do second and we’ll switch every four.”

Betty stayed silent as she watched the exchange, and found herself holding her breath as Jughead climbed into the driver's seat in front of her. Taller, broader, than she remembered. Though the leather jacket, the same one that had gotten him into a mess bad enough to be sent away, still sat on his shoulders.

She felt eyes on her and looked up, meeting his in the rearview mirror. She watched his lips curve, his eyes darken. “Hey Betts.” was all he said, watching her for another moment before looking away and turning the ignition over, though the butterflies in her stomach didn’t disappear when he looked away, nor did her pulse cease to pound. Especially when she found his eyes landing on her every few minutes as he drove, blue blazing with heat.

Yeah, Veronica was right. The summer definitely just got a whole lot more interesting.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr @secretsofthesky


End file.
